Moondog Web Design News

Jan 19, 2018

Do you know why some website addresses begin with "http" while others start with "https"? That "s" stands for secure, and it means the site you’re visiting is using a protected, encrypted connection. That security is provided by a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate. Websites that accept credit card payments and other secure information have been required to have SSLs for a long time, and recently there has been a push to make the entire World Wide Web adopt this level of security.

I don't accept credit cards online. Why do I need SSL?

If your website does not have an SSL certificate, and it contains any kind of text input, even a basic contact form or newsletter sign-up script, Google Chrome now warns visitors with a notice that reads:

Your connection to this site is not secure. You should not enter any sensitive information on this site (for example, passwords or credit cards), because it could be stolen by attackers.

You may not be collecting passwords or credit card information, but that notice will be enough to scare away a sizable chunk of your site's visitors. Also, Google ranks sites with SSL higher than those those without it.

Where can I get an SSL to secure my website?

Most domain name registrars and hosting companies sell SSLs, and generally speaking it is easier to install an SSL if you purchase it from the same company where you purchased your domain name. Moondog Web Hosting is currently selling our Standard SSL certificate for $49.99/year, and we offer free 24/7 US based telephone support to help you install it.

Aug 10, 2017

Moondog Web Hosting has been able to
stay competitive with the big players in the Web Hosting industry
since 2004 by selling at razor thin margins in order to keep our
prices as low as possible. In fact, the prices for our hosting
accounts and SSL certificates have not gone up one penny in 13 years!
Today our overlords at GoDaddy / Wild West Domains surprised us with
news that our "buy rates" for web hosting and SSL certificates are
going up between 30-50% effective August 15th, 2017.

Moondog Web Hosting absorbed the cost of the
last three "buy rate" increases, but this time we are going to have
to pass along a portion of the increase to our customers to avoid
selling at a loss. We don't like it any more than you do, but it
cannot be helped.

How Much More Will I Have To Pay?

Most customers who have a website(s)
hosted with us are on the Economy Plan and pay annually. Your cost
will rise from $6.99/month to $8.99/month ($83.88/year to $107.88).
Other plans can expect to see a similar increase of roughly 25%.

Is There Any Good News?

Yes. At this time, we are not aware of
any planned increases to the pricing of domain names or email
accounts. Also, if you want to add an additional year or years to your
hosting account(s) before August 15th, you can do so at the current
rates.

Jul 29, 2016

If you’ve been planning to upgrade your Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 operating system to Windows 10, but it somehow slipped your mind, in spite of all the nagging, prompting, and pestering from Microsoft, today is the day to pull the trigger because tomorrow you will have to pay $119.00 (or $200.00 for the Pro version) for something you can get free today.

For most people, the decision to upgrade is a no-brainer. Windows 7 has already passed the end of mainstream support and Windows 8’s support is set to end in January
2018. Plus, you'll see faster boot times and
lower memory usage upgrading to Windows 10.

Jan 18, 2016

Earlier this month Microsoft officially dropped support for Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10. The ghost of IE (in the form Internet Explorer 11) will live on quietly in the background for enterprise compatibility, but Microsoft's default browser going forward is Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer has been around for more than 20 years now, and even though most web surfers will shrug and most web developers will cheer its demise, for hundreds of millions of Internet users, Internet Explorer was the browser that provided that first taste of the World Wide Web.

Feb 26, 2015

Google began highlighting search results for websites that meet certain criteria with a "mobile-friendly" designation last November. To be eligible for this new tag, a website must follow certain rules:

Avoids software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash

Uses text that is readable without zooming

Sizes content to the screen so users don't have to scroll horizontally or zoom

Places links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped

Today Google announced that beginning April 21st, they will be "expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal".

Translation: if your website is not mobile-friendly, be prepared to watch it get leapfrogged in the rankings by other websites that are.

Want to find out if your website is ready for Google's new "Mobile First" ranking methodology? Take the Google Developers Mobile-Friendly Test. If your site passes the test, that is great. Google will boost its ranking when the new algorithm kicks in. If your site fails the test, do not be discouraged. Moondog Web Design has years of experience designing responsive websites and updating existing websites with the latest technologies. Let us make your website mobile-friendly.